Maccabi Haifa Faces Setback as Manuel Benson Suffers Serious Injury, Plans to Sign New Foreign Player

Maccabi Haifa is dealing with a major blow after midfielder Manuel Benson sustained a severe injury that is expected to sideline him for most, if not all, of the season. The club had initially planned to wait until the end of the transfer window to decide on Benson's future, hoping for his recovery from a previous injury, but now they must act quickly.

Benson is likely to be removed from the team's foreign player roster, either through contract termination by mutual agreement or by freezing his contract, the latter being less preferred. In response, Maccabi Haifa intends to sign another foreign player. The main dilemma is whether to immediately bring in Ghanaian national team midfielder Kwasi Sibo or to seek a foreign player for a more attacking role, specifically the right-wing position Benson was expected to fill.

Haifa has other options for the right-wing position, including Iyad Khalaily and Yair Mordechai, though both typically play on the left side. They are also considering Silva Kani, who has recently been deployed as a striker. The coaching staff is eager to sign Sibo, who is reportedly very interested in joining the club. Sibo, who played in the last World Cup, is currently a free agent after his contract with Spanish club Oviedo ended. Maccabi Haifa is now recalibrating its strategy following Benson's injury.